Max Revive
by Ode to None
Summary: 3 months following Cipher's final destruction, Wes is found, in a state that no one expected him to be in. But in discovering how he arrived there, a decade of buried history, memories, and lives are brought back to the surface. The truth is rarely pleasant, but it's always best in the open, right?
1. Chapter 1: Discovery

_"For strange effects and extraordinary combinations we must go to life itself, which is always far more daring than any effort of the imagination."_

Personal motivation was lauded. Every self-help book, every magazine, every television show held personal motivation in high regard. All great trainers have personal motivations that drive them to succeed. Some want to be gym leaders, Elite Four members, rangers, and even Pokemon Masters. The last term, unlike personal motivation, was a relatively new concept. Ten years ago, it hadn't existed. Even at the present, it wasn't a real position, with no definable requirements. But eight years ago, a rising trainer had named it his ultimate aspiration, and the media loved it. From then on, kids left their homes aiming to be Masters. But for Michael, his red hair falling at his sides, there was no such ultimate goal. His journey had started a year before it was supposed to, and two years before he definitively planned on leaving. There were no badges to obtain, no league to participate in, no personal milestones to overcome. He didn't spend hours preparing tactics for gym leaders, or trainers of certain types. His Pokemon represented soldiers moving around a battlefield, him being a commander for an army rather than a trainer.

It'd be incorrect, however, to claim that he treated his Pokemon as mere soldiers, going along with the war-style battling. Michael's Pokemon were his companions, his friends, and for the most part, his family. He didn't fully understand it, and his uncle hadn't yet worked out exactly what caused it, but the process of purifying a Pokemon created a bond between the trainer and the Pokemon that was near unmatched by any other situation. He perhaps even understood it a bit better than Professor Krane, having experienced firsthand the rabid Shadows. Simply put, Michael's goal was to save other people. First, it was his uncle. Then, it was the Pokemon that Cipher had stolen. Finally, once he had reached Citadark Isle, it had dawned on him. He wasn't just fighting for his family, or for the stolen Pokemon. He was fighting for all of Orre. The situation provided much more than a typical 14 year old boy could handle, but somehow, Michael had prevailed. The previous hero had a full three years on him, apparently.

That was another concept that sent Michael's head racing. Wes left before he could become popular. Evice and Nascour were arrested, and before anyone could blink, the sandy-haired trainer had vanished, seemingly into the desert that covered the region. Not even his companion through the journey, Rui, had known where he had left. The mysterious hero had left a simple note for her, saying goodbye, and from then on, he hadn't been heard from for five years. Before the media rush could swallow him whole, he was gone. Michael, personally, wished to meet the first Orrean hero, if for no other reason than to ask why he hadn't returned to stop Cipher the second time, instead leaving it up to a fourteen year old just getting into training to do it. But then, there was the question that plagued him now. Cipher Key Layer had produced 83 Shadows before Michael was able to shut it down, and all 83 were captured. In fact, all but five were by now uncorrupted once again. Of those five, however, only a Dragonite was close to completion.

He shouldn't have been surprised that legendary Pokemon weren't as simple, yet here he was. He had heard a mumble from within Agate Village that his predecessor had purified legendaries as well, the legendary beasts of Johto, to be exact. Another resident had informed him that it required the direct summoning of Celebi, an action that he had no means of accomplishing. The issue wasn't that the progression was very slow, it was that purification wasn't occurring in the slightest. The Legendary flying types had hearts just as locked as when he had captured them. That was why he sat in the basement library currently, his mother and Professor Krane forming a circle of people, and oddly enough, Eagun standing next to a white-board. He wasn't sure why, but the legendary trainer had spent the past week at the HQ. When Michael asked, Eagun had responded with a joke about giving his wife a vacation from him. Clearly there was an ulterior motive, but whether it was simply to assist with the legendaries or for further purposes, the trainer could not decipher.

The conversation wasn't necessarily anything new to this point, the two researchers and the legend bouncing ideas off of one another. All of them had previously been brought up in similar meetings, but Eagun's presence allowed for another knowledgeable mind to assess the ideas. Their faces did not betray their shock when Michael finally spoke up about the rumors surrounding the Johtoan beasts. Frankly, the two researchers had much less knowledge on the topic of Wes than Michael had, given their inability to listen to the whispers of the grapevine.

Eagun, however, grew a tiny smile. "What you heard is right, Michael." Krane nearly dropped the coffee mug in his hand, and Lily audibly gasped. The mother of two spoke first.

"Eagun, are you telling us that this former Snagem agent summoned a mythological Pokemon?" Eagun's smile grew a tiny bit, his eyes lighting up in a way that Michael didn't recognize. Legendary Pokemon had always fascinated the legendary trainer, but this was a different glint.

"I witnessed it with my very eyes." The aging man paused, his voice slightly louder than usual, a result of his excitement on the topic. He then turned, addressing Lily specifically. "There is a lot to Wes that only I know, and I know very little." Eagun was known to speak in cryptic phrases at times, and Michael had recognized that they most often came with the mention of Wes. However, for once the first Orrean hero wasn't merely a triviality, but a needed source of information.

"Well, how did he do it?" Eagun's smile only grew with the professor's question, now far out of the realm of being considered 'small'.

"Again, there is so much mystery around Wes that not even I am sure of it myself." The trainer's face contorted into a solemn frown, the air growing a bit thicker. "Unfortunately, its been over two years since I have heard from him. Rui hasn't either, in case you planned on following up with that question." Another dead end. Michael was beginning to become frustrated. Wes had essentially left him alone to deal with Cipher.

"So he essentially just abandoned everyone?" Eagun shook his head, grasping the shoulder of the young teen lightly. Eagun's eyes reflected a deep melancholy.

"For Wes to lose contact with me was bizarre. For him to lose contact with Rui spells foul play. I'm stunned that you didn't find him being held prisoner, or find any files on the topic." Professor Krane sighed next, his face finding itself buried into his hands.

"To Michael's defense, the moment the G-Men got themselves involved, we were completely shut out from accessing any Cipher files or evidence. Even as a recognized professor, I'm prohibited." Lily grumbled under her breath. Disdain for the G-Men was now widespread through Orre. Twice they had failed to provide a timely response to Cipher's threat, and twice they had swooped in at the very end, arrested already-restrained criminals, and claimed the spoils.

Eagun wasn't any more of a fan of the G-Men than the HQ inhabitants, him having witnessed the exact same situation the first time, from an even closer perspective, being Rui's grandfather. "The point is, short of Wes somehow finding his way to us, that train of thought is essentially eliminated." Before more pondering could be done, Cheryl, the secretary of the HQ, came down the stairs, her heels clanking against the concrete.

Her voice was small, given the company in front of her. "Sorry to interrupt, but there's a guest here who wants to see Michael." The rest of the group shrugged. Reporters were constantly coming in to ask Michael for interviews, even three months after the end of it all. However, with the official G-Men report now only a single week away from release, the interviews were once again picking up. It was the price of fame.

Michael, however, was a bit curious of Cheryl's diction. Typically, she'd introduce them as reporters, accompanying it with an eye-roll and an annoyed tone behind her voice. She got just as annoyed with the media as Michael did, for her sake as well as his. Before any objections could be made, Michael stood up, following Cheryl up the stairs. The three revered adults returned to their discussion of ideas behind the duo. "He's no one that I recognize, not from the media either. But he's... interesting. He says that he knows you, so I figured you'd want to see."

Michael's suspicions about the guest were confirmed by the secretary's words. Now the question was of who it could be. If it was Beluh, she'd surely ask for Eagun. If it was anyone from the HQ, they'd simply walk down to the room. Perhaps it was someone from ONBS? If that was the case though, Cheryl would have said so. Given their role in the media, Cheryl knew them all well. They were the portion of reporters that Michael not only didn't mind, but owed a lot to. Perhaps he expected to see Trest, the mayor of Phenac, or Justy. However, his eyes caught shades of black and crimson red in the form of a robed figure, dark sunglasses fitting to the head of the red-haired man. Certainly, this was the last man that Michael expected to see before him. He maintained the same smile that he had upon Cipher's destruction, providing a very strange sense of warmness, yet also a sense of discomfort. He was, after all, still one of the former top admins of Cipher.

* * *

_The boy is always doing SOMETHING. Perhaps it was just that I always meet him when he's busy, but there's always something to do, somewhere to be, someone to talk to. I've talked to his companions too. When he wakes up, he gets clean. After that, he eats, then he reads, trains, something. It starts when his eyes open in the morning and ends when his eyes close at night. Is it the result of workaholic parents, or greater fate? I'll leave that for psychologists to decide, for its irrelevant to me. What he does matters._

* * *

"Ah, Michael! I see that you have been keeping well." The man began to approach from the counter, a grin gracing Michael's face. This was exactly what he needed.

"Eldes, it's certainly a pleasant surprise." The teen shook the older man's hand firmly, Cheryl taking the chance to slip back to her desk unnoticed. Eldes was polite, but his outfit certainly gave off an intimidating appearance. "It's nice to see that you're not still imprisoned." Eldes' case was tricky. Michael, had walked to the base of the island with the man, discussing how Eldes had gotten to where he was, when they were greeted by G-Men, who instantly arrested the red-clad man. It had taken two weeks of sharp demands from Michael after that for the charges against him to be dropped.

Michael didn't blame the G-Men for the initial arrest, but the bureaucratic nonsense infuriated him to no end. "And it is certainly nice to not be in G-Men holding. I've gotten the chance to travel around Orre a bit, showing the forces different locations, satellite bases, that you didn't hit yourself." Michael's eyes widened a bit. He wasn't even aware of the existence of such locations. However, it wasn't a big deal. As Eldes had said, they were small bases, only meant for small numbers.

"It must be different from what you're used to, seeing the bases from the other side now. But forget that, let me bring you with me! I'm actually having a problem that I think you could help with!" The trainer then informed the former Cipher admin of his meeting downstairs, and the issue with the legendary Pokemon. Eldes grimaced, the mention of Pokemon still affected by the shadowification disturbing him, guilt weighing on his mind. Michael, however, missed it.

"I suspected that you would have difficulty. I've actually been searching the satellite bases for more information, but I haven't gathered much, unfortunately." The bottom of the stairs was in sight. "There is something that I am here for, but I'll get to that eventually." With another step, the duo were standing before the researchers and legendary trainer, all of whom were a bit puzzled.

"Michael, honey, have some manners and introduce us all to your friend here!" The trainer grew red in the face at his mother's embarrassment, prompting a chuckle from Eldes. Eagun watched on with weary eyes, with Professor Krane matching Eldes' chuckle.

"Right... guys, this is Eldes. He's a friend of mine who helped me on Citadark Isle against Greevil." Recognition flashed on Eagun's face, a smile finally being prompted from him. "Eldes, this is my mom, my uncle – Professor Krane, and Eagun. They're the ones who've done most of the work behind destroying Cipher." Simple greetings were exchanged, Eagun giving the brightest greeting to the newcomer, being a bit better informed than either of the researchers on Eldes' role in Cipher, Michael having trusted the information with him rather than receiving a scolding from his family.

Professor Krane followed by detailing the problem with the legendary Pokemon to Eldes, attempting to gain some sort of information. A shake of the head negated that possibility. "I apologize, Professor. I've looked into it myself, and I've read as many files as the G-Men would allow me to get my hands on, but unfortunately, I haven't found anything. Its times like these I wish I was more involved with the R&amp;D department..." Eldes looked down, a bit of guilt overcoming him. However, Michael this time recognized it, switching the topic.

"So Eldes, if you don't mind me asking, why did you come to visit?" The former Cipher man looked up, his eyes still a bit dull with guilt. He reached into the pocket of his robe, withdrawing an envelope of papers, and opening it.

"The G-Men didn't see these. I took them before they could confiscate them. Given the nature of what's inside, I feared that they'd misuse it." He placed the papers onto the table in the room, the trio of other people surrounding him, looking over his shoulder. Three papers, all bent and slightly damaged, rested. It was a three page letter written from Snattle to Greevil, Snattle's unmistakably fancy handwriting adorning the pages. Michael read the letter over carefully.

**Master Greevil,**

**I am pleased to inform that not only have I underwent the proper procedure for this topic in handwriting the note, but I have succeeded in my capture of the rogue. We found him around 250 miles southeast of Phenac City, at the northern edge of the forest encompassing the Johtoan-Orrean border. We believe that he has a home in the area that contain his Pokemon. However, we were unable to locate it, as he was captured next to a stream in the forest.**

**He had only one Pokemon in his possession at the time of capture: a Charizard. How he obtained it is still under question. However, he managed to kill thirteen of the twenty-five man squad, all peons, fortunately. Exol led the squad, but himself received a fractured wrist and a separated shoulder. However, he was able to apprehend the rogue, and transport him to our base south of Pyrite City. He is currently held here, with myself personally watching over him.**

Michael skimmed the letter, reaching the final paragraphs.

**I have been unable to discover how he managed to purify the legendary beasts of Johto, nor what he had been up to since his falling out of the public eye. He is extremely resistant to our negotiation tactics, and our experimental methods have seen no success. However, we have discovered that his Charizard was obtained at the age of ten. Does this indicate that he is Kantoan in origin? Further studies are required, given your approval.**

**He will be moved to the Under very shortly, the coordinates of his exact location will be written down at the very end of this note, following procedure. Agnol has been kind enough to lend us the ruins of his Deep Colosseum to store the rogue for so long as we keep quiet his involvement in the events of three years ago. Given the lack of cost, the belief that the location is inaccessible, and the public knowledge of the Under's destruction, I expect that you will support my choice.**

**All the best,**

**Snattle**

* * *

_Hm, that letter? Yes, letters were a very rare occurrence. It was only that one matter that required handwritten correspondence on everything, if not a face to face, in person conversation. Greevil had heard of this guy. It wasn't just us that he had ruined in the past. Apparently, we were only the latest major project to have been derailed by his efforts. But more than that, ours was particularly bloody. Perhaps not as bloody as what happened in the forest, but you have records on that. He was dangerous, and we knew that he had to be kept down. What better place to hold a man down than a place called-._

* * *

"The Under?" Michael's voice was louder now, disbelief lacing his voice. "But the Under was destroyed! Wasn't it?" Professor Krane finished reading next, cocking his head towards the new arrival.

"Yeah, the Pokemon League demanded that Orre destroy the Under in order to begin receiving governmental benefits. It was agreed to almost five years ago now. Are you saying that the Under wasn't destroyed, Eldes?" The red-headed man shook his head.

"Most of it was destroyed, and almost every entrance into the other was equally damaged. The Under Colosseum was wiped out, eliminating that entrance, and the elevator was destroyed by ONBS when they bought the building. However, Cipher maintained the entrance through their subway system linked with the Shadow lab." Michael scratched the back of his head, thinking. Professor Krane shook his head, massaging his temples. Lily's reaction was the mildest, an unreadable expression on her face. However, much to Eldes' shock, Eagun had sat down, wide eyed and a bit dazed. He muttered softly.

"It's him. He did get captured." Lily, now concerned, walked over to the aging man, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Eagun, dear, who are you talking about?" The legend fiddled with his hands, his worry overcoming his normally energetic behavior. His eyes closed.

"Its Wes, my dear. From the Charizard, to the home on the border, to his title of the rogue... it has to be Wes." The room went silent after that. Eldes himself was a bit shocked at the detail that this person was Wes. He had supposed that he had been left out of the loop by his father due to his hatred of kidnapping, or the interrogations that they did. However, perhaps it was more that caused his lack of knowledge.

Michael knew what was about to happen. Three months of relaxing had just come to an end... at least for a moment. It wasn't very peaceful, he supposed, with the process of opening the hearts of the remaining shadow Pokemon taking most of his time. However, this was going to be the first time he was back in action doing something. He wasn't sure whether to be excited at the process of saving Orre's first idol or horrified at going into an abandoned, mostly destroyed city. However, it'd certainly be something. "So when do we leave, Eldes?" Lily and Krane's head snapped to Michael instantly. They weren't necessarily upset, but they surely hadn't expected the boy to so willingly go into the Under. Eagun gave the boy a nice pat on the back, laughter growing in his chest.

"Well now, I'll be damned if I miss out on this one! Its about time I saved that rascal for a change!" The boy wasn't sure about how he felt taking an aging man with him to the Under, but if anyone was capable, it was Eagun. Perhaps the old trainer was even more fit for it than he was. Eldes, in the corner, let out a small smile. He wasn't certain about his motives for coming here, whether to see Michael again or to simply use him for help, but it was nonetheless the right thing to do. Eagun's accompaniment would serve no negative purpose, either.

* * *

Being in the basement of the Shadow Pokemon lab once again brought shivers to Michael. It hadn't been the most menacing place, but what was just in the building adjacent was horrific, in his mind. Before now, his uncle was held hostage for information to create XD001. Before that, dozens of Pokemon were physically and mentally tortured, tormented, and ultimately had their hearts closed. He hadn't felt this sense of dread since his time in Cipher's Key Lair. Eldes was feeling similarly, with more guilt. He had been in the Shadow Pokemon lab plenty of times over the previous seven years. First, it was as a supervisor to Ein, reporting back to his father. Eldes shuttered at the simple thought of Ein. Gorigan was ruthless, but he was simply a warrior gone mad. Ein was a monster. Cold, calculating, detached. The man took more pleasure in torturing the Pokemon brought to him than he did battling with his Raikou. It was here that he watched Ein kill many Pokemon in his attempts, and torture so many others.

Needless to say, both of them were eager to make their way to get out of the lab.

"I can't believe that you guys actually managed to get a vehicle down here." Eagun's incredulity was well founded. Sitting on the subway tracks was a pickup truck, chipping, worn red paint accompanied by wood paneling. It wasn't by any means fancy, and certainly didn't seem to fit such a modern, advanced terrorist group such as Cipher, but surely it would serve its simple purpose. Eagun's words fell on deaf ears, each of his companions troubled by their own thoughts. Eagun shrugged it off, knowing at the very least that each man had a history with the place, but not the severity. Eldes silently hopped into the driver's seat, Eagun taking the passenger seat, and Michael sitting in the middle. It wasn't the most comfortable arrangement, but the three seats were the only available seats in the truck. It was assumed that Michael would be riding in the back of the truck, when they found Wes.

Eldes' mind was very much darker on that. Sure, Wes could be there. But who was to say that he hadn't been moved since that letter was written? Sure, it had said that it would be his permanent location, and that there would be agents there at all times, if for nothing else than to keep him alive. But with Cipher's destruction, would there be anyone there? Would Wes even still be alive? The last thing that he wanted was for Michael to have to stare at a corpse, or for Eagun to permanently lose someone who clearly meant a lot to him. But he couldn't help but hope for the best. Professor Krane and Eagun had informed him of Wes' possible use in purifying the legendary Pokemon. That was one thing that he had forgotten to mention, in his haste to get to where he was now. How had it completely slipped his mind? Turning on the car, he turned to his companions. "Eagun, what do you know about Wes' connection to legendary Pokemon?"

The Pikachu trainer was a bit astonished by the question. He didn't know what to expect of Eldes' knowledge. So far he proved to be wise, if not a bit quiet, probably guilt-ridden. He had seen it before, many years ago, before he had even moved to his home in Agate. But this question on legendary Pokemon was a bit out there. "I know that he was able to summon Celebi to purify the dogs. The first time, he had found what was called a time flute. Able to summon Celebi once, only to disintegrate. Apparently, though, that first time enabled him to call upon Celebi whenever he was in the forest. That's how he did it when I witnessed it, at least."

Eldes held back a grin. He knew that Eagun knew more about Wes. His eyes held the answer. From what he had gathered in the two days it had taken them to travel to the lab (flying was only so fast), the man was wiser than he could imagine, but his eyes often betrayed his emotions. "I read another file after I found the letter I showed you both. Unfortunately, the officer in command of us took it."

Michael cut in before he could continue. "Figures, the G-Men take all of the information and leave us in the dark. Ungrateful assholes." Eldes refused to show his agreement with the young teen, only reacting with laughter when Eagun gave a firm smack to the back of the red-head's skull. Michael sulked lower before Eldes continued.

"Apparently he was the way in which my father obtained the legendary Pokemon that you now possess, Michael." The boy's frustrations faded quickly, amazement adorning his eyes. "I remember being there to capture the birds, all the way over in the Orange Islands. We attacked them ruthlessly with weapons – both Poke-based and non – for what felt like hours. Then we threw modified Pokeballs, infused with some sort of energy I could never get an explanation for." Eldes paused, the memories of the sheer pain of the Pokemon causing him to shake his head.

"So how was Wes involved?" Michael's question was innocent, not noticing the overwrought appearance on Eldes' face. Eagun grimaced, knowing where the story was headed already. He answered for Eldes.

"Wes knew of the location of the legendaries. He knew that they rarely, if ever, left the island, and when they did, that he could summon them back. Did you ever find out what that energy was, Eldes?" The former criminal shook his head, focusing on the straight path ahead of him, only lit by his headlights. Along the walls, a few Zubat were perched, reacting harshly to the light.

"No, unfortunately. It could relate to Wes, but it could not. Its really impossible to know at this point, unless the G-Men give us some information."

"Or if Wes does when we find him!" It was with the boy's statement, seemingly of fact, that the conversation died. Eagun and Eldes could only pray that one day, they'd hold again the naivety of his youth. Captured in their own muses, the trio quickly arrived at their final destination: a station identical to the one under the Shadow Lab. Turning off the car, Eldes stepped out last, Eagun and Michael already having begun the process of stretching their legs and backs. The ride wasn't horribly long, just over thirty minutes, surprisingly, but the truck was cramped.

Eldes scanned the area, having truly never been to the Under base before. He noticed that an identical pickup was parked on the other side of the gap, facing the opposite direction. Noting the door behind it, presumably into the Under, the man sighed. This would not be fun, regardless of the outcome. "Follow me." Eagun and Michael snapped their heads to him as he crossed the tracks, following him stepwise. Cracks were evident practically everywhere, from the floor, to the walls, to the tracks themselves. It was a testament to the entire Under, Eagun noted as he stepped out. When people said that the Under was destroyed, they truly meant it. Buildings were leveled, the transport system, commonly referred to as the UFO for its appearance, was completely destroyed. The concrete below their feet was cracked, yet no plants sprung from beneath them. The only light was provided by a pathway lit by bright lights.

Eldes noted that the path was perhaps the best sign of all, that someone was still living down here, and perhaps, still watching over Wes, ensuring his survival. The lights halted at the stairs to which the UFO usually stationed, and Michael was the first one over the edge. "Hey, there's a ladder going down here, and its lit!" Eldes smiled a bit, Michael's excitement entertaining him a bit, as he followed. Eagun did as well, his own excitement catching him a bit. Michael, without warning, began climbing down the ladder rapidly. Ignoring the complaints of his elders, he nearly flew down it, finding the ability to slide down at certain portions. He couldn't help but realize what a horrible trip it would be back up, but brushed it off. The Under wasn't nearly as frightening as he had expected. Sure, all of the buildings were destroyed, it appeared as a ghost town that suffered the rampage of an entire ocean of Gyarados, but it was quiet. There was truly nothing to fear here. He was about to meet his idol!

Finally, the older duo reached the ground, noting the massive doorway, fully open, that separated them from whatever they would find. Silently, they walked inside, Michael nearly skipping ahead, ignoring the surfacing doubts in his mind about what he'd find. He certainly hadn't expected to find a man sitting behind the registration desk to the former Deep Colosseum, smoking a cigarette with his feet kicked up. A smile unfolded, eyes wide in awe. "Now, it may just be the amount of time I've spent down here, but holy shit, are you for real?" Michael restrained himself from holding his nose – it smelled like Skunktank – and walked forward. Eagun responded to the strange man.

"For real in what way?" Barking laughter greeted the trio, and Michael's hand instinctively hovered over his belt, not sure how insane the man truly was.

"Old man, I haven't seen a person other than myself down here in... four months, give or take. Unless you've been sneaking down here during my weekly trips topside, I've been one of only two people in the Under since I heard of Cipher falling." The man squinted his eyes, readjusting his dust-covered glasses. Parting his brown hair, he resisted the urge to gasp. "Wait, Commander Eldes?"

The former boss stepped forward, dusting his robe off from the trip down. He cocked his head, attempting to discern if he had met the employee before. Refusing to remove his glasses, he approached the desk, the other two men in tow. "Yes, it is I. But please, drop the title. As you said, Cipher is done and dead." The man howled again, hopping off his seat. Michael's hand slid a bit closer.

"Ardos was right, with all his ramblings about you not being 100% loyal! Good thing too, I sometimes felt that I was the only one." In an instant, Eldes breathed a sigh of relief, Eagun''s stance became more relaxed, and Michael's hand left the balls on his belt. Smiles now adorned their faces.

"Well, I hate to bother asking, but what did you do down here for Cipher?" Eagun's question was greeted with a bit of a frown from the strange man.

"I ran the base down here. It doesn't look like much now, but this held about ten Cipher agents on average, monitoring Pyrite Town, mostly. This is also where all the agents who stormed ONBS hid before the invasion. There was... one more thing... but why are you all here?" Michael was the only one to note the change of topic, and took it with a grain of salt. He seemed certain now that they had found Wes. And if not, something else.

"Well, we're actually following up on a lead we got... and we actually never got your name, did we?" Another rumble of laughter followed Eagun's words.

"Well, you're Eldes, obviously, you're Eagun, the legendary trainer, and that means that you must be the kid I should be thanking for ending this bullshit! Michael, right?" The boy nodded, grinning a good deal at the praise. "Good to know! Keep it in your mind that I owe you a favor or two! I'm Jimmy Muntari, and its a damn pleasure!" The man's cheerful attitude was beset by Eldes' obvious confusion.

"After Cipher fell, I did searches of the satellite bases with the G-Men. How come this one was never found?" Again, the man's face darkened, his hands curling into balls just a tiny bit, his voice dropping deep.

"Well, Greevil and Ardos kept this place a secret from everyone other than the agents stationed here, the agents who went from here to ONBS, and Snattle. They even kept it secret from you, it appears." Eldes nodded, deep in thought, before Michael launched forward with the question on everyone's mind.

"Well, Jimmy, if Cipher ended three months ago, why exactly are you still down here?" The grimace from the brunette did not fade.

"Let me ask you this first, why are you here? Clearly, one of you three found evidence of this place existing." Michael cut the other two off, a strange confidence, mostly impatience, taking over.

"Well, Eagun and I were trying to figure out ways to purify the legendary Pokemon I have, when Eldes stopped by, telling us of a prisoner you have here, who in his words, sounded awfully like the description of Wes." Jimmy gave a wry grin, turning to the doors behind the registration desk, and pointing, somewhat dramatically.

"Well, you already know about the skeleton in the closet then. He's been right back there for around two years now, and I've been here with him, the entire time. I've been the one bringing him food, drink, taking him to the bathroom, everything. It's what turned me against this whole damn thing. I signed up for the money, but when they brought him down here, bloodied and limp, I couldn't fucking stomach it anymore. I pledged that so long as I could, no one would kill him!" Jimmy took a deep breath in, his face nearly blue from the rant.

* * *

_ The Cipher suit was nice, yes, the pay was enough to keep my mother alive at the time, yes. But be thankful that you never saw what he looked like. Bandages wrapped around his neck like a noose, blood staining every piece of clothing on him, shackles around his ankles, his wrists, held on a fucking metal leash. There weren't any bruises on his face, because that implies that there was unbruised area! One eye was so swollen that he couldn't open it. He didn't walk, either. He was dragged. It wasn't that he resisted, but that he couldn't physically carry himself. I'll see that until my death, save for Cresselia's help._

* * *

The other three in the reception room cut off any prior emotions, in shock at the outburst. The former Cipher agent coughed nervously. "Sorry, a lot of pent up issues regarding this." He gave a nervous chuckle, scratching his arm. Face bearing a frown, he sighed. "Look, I can take you to him, and hell, I can probably let you take him with you. But... he's... uh..." His voice faded, eyes reaching the stone ground beneath them. The brunette kicked a few pebbles at his feet.

Eagun stepped forward, a matching low expression to match. "I suppose that you're trying to tell us that he's not in good shape?" Not to the surprise of anyone, Jimmy nodded, face not leaving the floor.

"I've been able to give him good exercise, as much food and water as he'll drink – hell, I even got him my bed from home to sleep on. The... interrogations... they did only stopped about six months ago, when Michael here forced a full retreat to Citadark Isle. I was left here with two subordinates. Anyway, the physical damage is slight. Mentally though... it truly pains me too much to say. I think... if you three are up to it, you're better off witnessing for yourselves."

The strange change in tone from the previously carefree Jimmy was perhaps the most concerning issue to Eldes. With Michael too young to understand the gravity of the situation, and Eagun too personally concerned for Wes, that left Eldes as the rational one. Following a now silent Jimmy, Eldes led the group of three through the door to what would have been the battlefield. The battlefield was still there, but now cracked and barren, pillars decaying, and in some areas fully collapsed. The only notable feature was a single bed in the middle, sheets astray, and no person inside.

Michael, his vision not impaired by Eldes', in his opinion at least, stupid glasses, nor Eagun's age, quickly noticed a figure, sitting towards the wall opposite them, on the far side of the field. Pointing, he directed Eagun's attention to the figure. With a nod, Eagun led the group of four over to the opposite edge of the arena, his steps slow, a deep part of his mind wondering of the adventure he had just gotten himself into. The first thing that Michael noticed upon getting closer was his clothes. His blue trench coat remained, undeterred despite the years of beating. His black boots as well did not leave, nor did his black cargo pants. However, the most notable change in wardrobe was the absence of his snag machine, and the loss of the white line mid-face. Moving closer, however, something else seemed horribly wrong. His famous, sandy-brown hair had grown down past his shoulders, wild and untamed. In addition, a fierce beard had grown on his face.

The bigger issue with his hair, however, was that it was now jet-black. The young trainer concluded that the brown hair was a result of dyeing. But why? However, more questions only arose as they finally reached Wes. Jimmy stepped forward first, once they reached within ten meters. "Wes, I can't believe I'm saying this, but we've got some company!" Wes didn't respond for a few moments, allowing the group to get closer, now standing right behind him. Michael swore that he'd never forget the moment that Wes turned to face him. But was it because of the fact that his eyes were a swirl of blue and brown? Or the scar parallel to the ground that ran across his trachea?

* * *

Hello, and welcome, I guess. I'm kinda just writing this as a method of passing the time (I'm a bit of an insomniac, slept about 8 hours in the past 5 nights), so I have quite a bit. Bit of history: I'm 19, am in college studying chemical engineering, have been writing stuff like this for a solid few years. All of my previous work I never uploaded, as I never thought it was good at all (also, past computer died, so I have nothing but this).

I'll be completely honest. I'll read the reviews, but don't expect them to have much of an impact (or any). I'm really writing this for myself, and publishing it because I figured that there might be people out there who want to read it, correct my factual errors (bound to be plenty as most of my writing is done at 6:30am after a night of no sleep, like now), and hopefully enjoy it.

My writing will often be influenced by song choices in this piece, so don't be surprised if the mood varies from chapter to chapter. For this one, the driving artist was probably the Smashing Pumpkins. Not my favorite artist by any means (definitely not a fan of Billy Corgan's ego), but "Bullet with Butterfly Wings" definitely was on my mind and in my ears through this.

As you can tell, these notes will probably often be rambles about unimportant stuff.

Onto the actual piece, I'm not sure how many of you will be able to see where I think I'm headed with this. I'll probably pop in and edit it at least once, as I tend to be a bit sloppy. My vocabulary isn't stellar by any means, and my style is a bit bland in patches. But overall, this came out pretty well, I think. I can't guarantee consistent word counts for chapters. Hopefully, this will be the shortest though. I expect 10k to be the average after this, but again, no guarantees. That goes for upload schedule as well (calculus isn't too simple, truth be told). As for the content itself...

The Orre games were two of my favorite in the entire Pokemon series to play. I spent countless hours beating both Colosseum and XD with every possible combination of Pokemon. I seemed to never tire. Combine that with a love of the main-series games I managed to get my hands on (I played Red, Yellow, Crystal, Emerald, Platinum, and Black 2 at various points in my life), and a childhood of watching the original Anime (and for nostalgiac purposes, I delved into the Advanced generation and DP series too a bit), and you get what you're going to read. Hopefully you'll enjoy it, but if not, at least I passed the time.


	2. Chapter 2: de Nobis Fabula Narratur

_One thing that no one ever really knew about Wes was how brilliant he truly was. Of course, he had battling instinct and vision rarely seen previously, but there was more to it. He was a student of battling. When fighting Cipher, not only did every individual battle have its own intricate strategy, he followed a single strategy through his entire fight against Cipher, beginning to end. Deception, diversion, he reminded me a lot of my old friend Koga. But beyond battling, he was more knowledgeable than anyone his age. From physical sciences and Pokebiology, to political theory among the five main nations, he knew so much, and had opinions on most of it. The only regret I have from those conversations is never pushing the issue of HOW he had acquired all of this knowledge. When I inquired, I'd suffer his diversions much like an opposing trainer._

In my training years, I was a champion. People tend to forget that due to my age. I'm a strong trainer now, and I'm the reason that people even know of Orre... well, until Wes. But I was the champion of Hoenn for a full decade, the only electric-type specialist to ever become champion, or even make an Elite Four. I hear some chap from Sinnoh is close to an Elite Four position, but as for now, I have that to hold on to. I can proudly say that I put Hoenn on the map as a major league. At the time, it was only Kanto and Johto that were regarded as the true leagues. I changed that, and paved the way for Sinnoh and Unova to later join, after my reign had ended.

My greatest competition during that time was a man a year younger than me, with a full head of brown hair and a mind equivalent to a Metagross. Whereas I relied on the abilities of my Pokemon to get me through tough battles, he relied on strategy. Yes, Samuel Oak was the greatest rival a trainer could ever hope for. Needless to say, I was disappointed that not only did he never lose his title (he retired on his own accord after seven years), but he went on to become the greatest Pokemon Professor, and set in place the structure of starting Pokemon and regional professors that we know today. I didn't exactly do nothing during that time. I spent another five years after his retirement as a champion, and then lost to a dashing, flamboyant man named Juan. Following that, I set out to reform Hoenn's league, picking the regional manager and highlighting the core eight gyms that every region was known for. Then I came to Orre, discovering Agate and the shrine to Celebi. At first, it was only myself and some close friends, all retired from battling, but very capable. Since then, it has blossomed into the beautiful community that we find today. Everyone knows each other's name, and generally, we all do what is best for the village.

Only ten years ago did I manage to reconnect with Samuel. We talked on the videophone, an hour at a time, for many months, sharing our stories. Without the rivalry of Pokemon battles and regional leagues, we got along brilliantly. While I fostered the relationships between people, Pokemon, and the environment, he studied those same relationships on a scientific level, attempting to bring out the best in every living thing. While I founded Agate Village, a quaint place in a region of chaos spreading the knowledge of many people, he founded Pallet Town, a tiny town in an otherwise modernizing region, the starting place for youths to go for advice and direction. The two living areas are very comparable, truth be told. Pallet has no shrine to Celebi, but it does hold the Kanto Pokemon Lab, one of the largest ranches for trained Pokemon, if not the largest, in the world. Wildlife surrounds both, us by the forest we inhabit, Pallet by forests, a small route to the nearby Viridian City, and the sea to the south. Both areas are known as areas for great trainers to retire, though Pallet is moreso known for the trainers that it produced, though I still argue that Agate is on its path there.

The one thing that Oak always had over me was his ability to groom the children of Pallet. In honesty, I never had a chance, given the lack of a league in Orre and the dangerous nature of the region as a whole. I gave young kids advice and taught them the basics, but I rarely heard of them again once they left on their journeys, almost always in Kanto or Johto. But the professor never failed to tell me about the kids from Pallet Town, though he always mentioned a specific two. Of course, there was his grandson. First, he was a remarkable trainer, then, his soon-to-be successor for the job of Kanto Professor. But the other boy truly interested me. Oak told me about his own encounter with Celebi when he was a teen, only to find out that the boy he had met in the future would be his grandson's best friend. But the connection to Celebi wasn't all. Apparently the boy was talented beyond comprehension. He had won his first league at the age of 16, four years younger than my first league victory, and two younger than Sam's. It was a record for any of the leagues. The professor told me all about the boy's encounters with not only most – if not all – of the Elite Four and Champions from around the leagues, but with legendary Pokemon (my precious Celebi included).

I could go into the fact that Oak never saw either boy, his grandson or his best friend, as what they were. Both seemed to be sons to him. He rambled about their successes as if they were his own kin. It was the one thing I have never been able to do, given the lack of stable families living in the Orre region, and the lack of a league. I see the children until they are 13, and most I never heard from again. It is the tragedy of Orre. We are outsiders to the League. Our weather conditions are deemed unsuitable for the construction of a league, despite the large population of the region. Sinnoh was the same way, but they had vast resources, especially with Iron Island and Mt. Coronet. Of course, we aren't the only region to suffer from non-league acceptance: Fiore and Almia are both simply protectorates like us. But those two are smaller with much smaller populations. Our population is larger than Johto's, in fact.

So given Oak's connection to the boy, I wasn't expecting the final phone conversation that I had with him, about two and a half years ago. The boy, his name was Ash, I believe, was found dead in the woods north of Ecruteak City. Now, I've known Oak for well over forty years. He was known for many years as fierce, calculating, and composed, and in his later years, those words stuck, at least in the minds of the league. When he wanted something done, it was done. However, in his later years, most people saw him as wise, compassionate, and still the same composed man.

What I saw during that call betrayed every word used to describe him previously.

Emotion ruled over Oak that day. He cried, and he shouted to the legendary Pokemon, his notion of God long ago debunked. I didn't have the full story for a few days after that, however, on him or his student. My former rival took an immediate trip to Indigo. There were only three cases that would make Oak went to Indigo, from all of my time knowing him.

1) He had to defend his title against someone.

2) He was watching his grandson or Ash battle.

3) He was angry and taking it out on the League.

And boy, apparently he did. He revealed to the public the existence of the formerly secret interregional anti-terrorist force, the G-Men, and revealed that it was run by Kanto and Johto champion Lance. He demanded the release of documents pertaining to the involvement of his prodigy with the group, and the groups involvement with Team Rocket. But the thing that caught my eye the most was him demanding an answer of why Ash's request for an Elite Four challenge was rejected. Such occurrences were rare beyond belief. I only rejected a single challenge, and that was due to the severe illness of one of my Elite Four.

For once, the league fought back. They had fought Oak when he was just starting out as champion. He was tackling corruption in bank subsidies given to failing banks that had cheated many Cinnabareans out of land, demanding that the money instead be used to expand the PC system that his friend Bill had founded. They asked him mockingly what he could do about it. Within the next six months, 59 out of 200 Parliament members resigned, fifteen more were impeached, and the President of the Pokemon League and his entire cabinet publicly stated that they would not be running for reelection. A new amendment was passed to the interregional constitution banning the donation of more than $1000 to a political campaign per individual, while also banning corporations from any donations.

The League never challenged him again, until that moment. Lance had built a lot of power for himself in Indigo. He had become champion of both the Johto and Kanto regions, assimilating power in both regions. At that time, the only person who held more power than him in the League was Goodshow, who was nearing the end of his time as President, given his age. Lance attempted to have him arrested for treason, and for a while, kicked him out of his lab. It turned into a month long battle between the two figures, with both Goodshow and Parliament refusing to get involved themselves. In the end, for once, Oak didn't outright win. He kept his lab, and obviously was not arrested. Lance released some information regarding Ash's involvement in the G-Men, but it was watered down, most crucial points redacted. More than that, the court that the case was brought to affirmed that Lance was not required to give his reasoning for turning down the title challenge, as it was revealed that it was a mutual decision between the trainer and Lance, rather than a traditional strike down from the champion.

This was all information I had gathered on my own, with help from the internet of course. I hadn't spoken to anyone about it. No one in Orre much cared for Kantoan politics. I didn't expect to ever have a conversation on the matter. Oak had retired as the regional professor immediately after, giving the title to his assistant, a young man named Tracey. I never got to ask him why his grandson wasn't named. I lost contact.

* * *

I never expected to find myself talking about it with Wes. He came over to visit myself and Beluh a lot. It was a tradition that once a month he'd stay with us for a night, and once he had found himself a place to live, I'd do the same for him. You had gone half a year ago at that point, opting to move in with her cousins, my other set of grandchildren, in Cerulean City. I had never been as close to them as I had you, their mother being the main reason. I hear a lot that it is wrong to shun your own child, but Misteria was a vile girl, a result of getting in with the wrong group of people. I was upset when I learned that she died, sure, but I wasn't too depressed. With you moving in, I had found a way to make up for lost time with them. They were truly wonderful, even if two of them reminded me a bit of their mother.

Anyway, ignoring my diatribes and rambles, Wes was sitting at the table with me, sharing some tea. Beluh had gone to the market shortly before, jokingly telling me to have some 'guy-time' with Wes. And so we talked. "So Wes, what's gone on with you in the past month?" It was an innocent start to the conversation, a conversation that would surprise me beyond belief. I didn't expect much. Work on his new house, avoiding reporters, and training was the typical answer. His dark expression gave away quite a bit of his mood.

"Well, I got a nice visit from the G-Men last week." It surprised me a bit with the venom behind his voice with the mention of the group of crime fighters. Perhaps I shouldn't have been, given his status as an antihero.

"I thought that you were already debriefed and that they'd begin to leave you alone." Following the defeat of Cipher, the G-Men stepped in to arrest Nascour and Evice, along with the other Cipher agents they could get their hands on. They then interviewed many of the people associated with their takedown, including myself, Wes, and you. Wes, however, was initially detained due to his involvement with Team Snagem. It took an immediate pardon from Goodshow himself to end it after a week.

"They're miffed that I won't give them who I am. They tried to intimidate me with Koga of the Elite Four." I couldn't help but get a bit nervous with that. The recent years, in the absence of Team Rocket and Oak, had seen Lance grab more power, now known as the head of the largest non-Ranger force in the regions. I knew Koga well towards the end of my career, when he had just ascended to his spot as a core gym leader. If the G-Men were sending him, then they were beyond serious.

"You're gonna get yourself killed by hiding your identity, you know. The G-Men aren't to be messed with." Laughter wasn't the reaction I was hoping for, but it was expected. Wes often had no respect for governmental systems. I was sure that his recent experiences with the G-Men didn't help, but he seemed to oft be on the wrong side of the law, if not morality.

"Its quite the contrary, Eagun. If I were to reveal my identity to the G-Men, I'd be hunted." That raised my eyebrow. I suspected that Snagem caused a few run-ins with the law, but I didn't know that they preceded Gonzap's group. His next sentence, however, would have caused me to spit my tea had I not already swallowed. "Don't give me that look, Eagun. I told you, Snagem was my first time doing anything THAT illegal. In fact, for a solid year, I WAS a G-Man." That certainly shut me up well. There were many things to discover about Wes at that time, and even now, but that was certainly the last thing that I expected.

Oak's situation popped up in my head then. "So you've met Lance before?" If possible, Wes' normally wry expression only became dryer, his face showing vast amounts of venom that not even Koga could recognize, apparently.

"Unfortunately. He's the reason I came to Orre. To get away." Finally, after months of trying, I was getting personal information from Wes. Apparently the appearance of the G-Men had rattled him a lot. Given the opportunity, I pressed.

"What exactly happened that made you come here, Wes? What did Lance do?" It was a full thirty seconds of silence. I didn't mention it aloud, but I could sense the conflict in Wes' mind, the changing facial expressions. He couldn't decide whether to give away some information or not. For the first time, he was considering it! I had never been able to crack him, why I had never seen a smile of happiness from him. Everything seemed bittersweet to him, as if he was constantly mentally exhausted. Good grief, if I were to stick around until he gives me that information, I'd die first.

He would prove that to me. "I'm sorry Eagun. I really can't." He paused, and I could sense a small degree of guilt for leaving me in the dark. "I can give you some information on what happened shortly after I left, between him and the league and Oak." Wes truly knew, and still knows, how to get my attention. Last time he had come here, he had described to me his own tales of training a Pikachu. Now, he was describing to me something that I desperately wanted to know.

"Wes, I'd kill for that information. I've told you that Sam was my greatest rival, right?" He gave a chuckle, taking another sip of tea as well. My eyes must have been bulging out of my head at that point.

"You have old man. But tell me what you know about the whole situation. I'd rather save my voice if I can." And so I told him what I knew, what I stated already on this record. He responded with a detached sigh, going over to the stove and pouring himself some more tea. "It amazes and horrifies me that Lance was able to get such power in Johto. The court the case went to was inexplicably in Johto, despite the trainer challenging for the Kanto Championship. And that's just the beginning." I couldn't contain my excitement to hear this. I had wanted this knowledge for years, knowledge that the public didn't have.

"Well, we've got plenty of time. Beluh won't be home for another few hours, you know how she takes her time shopping and chatting with the locals. Why don't you give me the full story? Or as much as you feel comfortable telling, at least?" Wes took another sip of tea, grimacing a bit. I could tell that this story was going to have plenty of knowledge gaps, but again, any information on Samuel or Wes is only to be cherished as the most unattainable knowledge for me.

"I guess the best way to do this is to go point for point and tell you where you're missing information." He was practically chugging his tea at this point, maybe a nervous action. Such things were very rare from Wes outside of public appearances. "You should know that everything revolves around Lance being a coward; a fraud of the greatest proportions. He feared that he would lose his title? He sent the competitor to his death. He feared that he'd be harmed in the line of duty? He sent terrorists gifts to appease them!" Wes slammed his cup of tea on the table with that last statement. Seeing him this angry was a sheer rarity. In fact, I hadn't seen it since Evice had revealed himself as the leader of Cipher. He took another sip of tea, calming himself quickly. "I should apologize in advance. I get quite... heated... over this subject."

"I'm sure you have good reason to Wes. Now how about you actually get to the story?" That brought a chuckle from him, a large one at that. When Wes got passionate, he had a tendency to ramble. Only myself and you truly knew though.

"Of course." Yet another sip. Did he even have any tea left? Clearly not, as he went back to my stove. "So Ash was an anomaly in all respects. He was the only G-Man to be admitted without formal training. He was admitted two years younger than usual full time, but had been working for us on occasion since the age of thirteen. Do you remember hearing about the crisis in Hoenn a decade ago? With Aqua and Magma groups?" I nodded. It was fairly common knowledge by now, especially for the former champion of the region. I was nearly called over to help out. "He was there, working, at age thirteen." Wes paused again, starting to speak faster afterward.

"Anyway, after he challenged the Elite Four immediately following his victory at Indigo. He beat them. After that, I saw him in the headquarters. His challenge was over and he was with us full time."

"And what caused that change?" Egging Wes on in his stories was entertaining, given their rarity.

"Officially, he had grown weary of Team Rocket's increased threat and actions, and joined us to fight them."

"Unofficially?" Wes' fist slammed on my table, seemingly out of nowhere. A bit shocking, to say the least. His words were moreso, though.

"Lance lied to him. Told him that Giovanni, the head of the Rockets, was planning a full attack on his hometown, where the professor lived as well." A familiar scowl adorned that boy's face, almost a trademark during his fighting days. Now, a rarity. "To defend his title, money, fame, and power, he lied to a boy and made him fight terrorists. The idea was for him to be killed in action."

"He wasn't?" A nice scoff followed my question.

"Oh, he did. But only over a full year after he was supposed to, in his mind." I hadn't known much about Wes at that point, but this conversation had already revealed to me one thing. Death was nothing more than a natural occurrence to him. There didn't seem to be any grief in the boy's, or anyone else's death, but only in the atrocities of their lives. "This was just the top of the barrel though. When things didn't go to Lance's plan, it got much worse." As much as I didn't want to stop Wes' tale, this just didn't seem right. The champion of two regions, who had up until that point overseen some of the greatest successes in the League, being one of the most corrupt and wretched individuals in history?

"Wes, I hate to ask, but... how do you know this?" This time, he winced. There was the personal conflict coming through in a wave, I could tell. Half of him wanted to give me all of the knowledge in the world, hating that he was holding back. The other half hated that he had the weakness to want to show his hand, whatever it may be. You can guess which half won out.

"I was high up. That's really all I can say." I held back a pout. I may be old, but even I can still act like a child. At some point, you realize that it isn't worth it to suppress your youth. Anyway, he continued at my silence. "Things fell apart in a matter of months with that whole situation." Again, Wes wasn't one to show much emotion, ever. Annoyance, amusement, frustration, boredom, sure. Intense emotions? Not so much. So seeing him grieve as he was... it was unnerving, even to me.

"What do you mean fell apart?" Wes took some time to respond to that. This time, he didn't reach for his tea. He put his hand in his pocket, fumbling with something.

"The kid picked up word from a pair of informants that Archer was personally carrying out an attack on Professor Oak's lab in Pallet." It took me a bit to register the words. Samuel had never told me that his lab was attacked by the Rockets. He couldn't have just left that out, could he?

"How much damage was done?" It confused me a bit when he shook his head, without audible response. What did that mean? He eventually filled the gap, letting silence run its course.

"The informants didn't lie. They were right about the attack being on Pallet. But the target wasn't Samuel Oak, nor was it the lab." He sighed deeply, failing to meet my face with his eyes. "The attack was on his childhood home, and his mother." Now that was just cruel. Back when I was champion, sure, there were atrocious people. But not since eras before my birth was there barbarism and cruelty enough to attack a man's mother for revenge. But something didn't feel right with Wes' reaction.

"Well, how did you and Lance play into this?" That got him to shift uncomfortably. He squirmed a bit. I didn't even know if he'd answer it, or if I had pressed too hard. For such a cold exterior, he was awfully touchy over certain things.

"When he had found out about the attack, him and myself flew immediately over to Pallet Town, and he called Lance, who ensured that G-Men were in the area, ready to fight back." He fumbled around in his pocket, still not taking out whatever was in his hand. "We were the only two fighting, and we arrived late, flying in from Olivine City." I, perhaps due to my age, or perhaps due to my lack of belief in conspiracies, still didn't see the connection. A sort of fury took him over, his voice becoming gravely, the venom of an Arbok not being a match for his tone. "Lance, that pompous fuck, didn't keep anyone within 50 miles of Pallet. In fact, he personally gave Giovanni his mother's address, trying to cut a deal."

Now, I had known Wes for a while by now. It seemed then, and still seems, way too out there to be true. It didn't take him long to sense my skepticism. "You don't believe me." I stumbled over my words a bit, not truly expecting him to be so up front about it. He often averted conflict, contrary to popular belief.

"Wes, you're accusing one of the most revered champions in recent history of conspiring with one of the most infamous members of League history. Whether or not it was to protect his region, his title, whatever, you're making a very heavy charge." Wes nodded, finally taking another sip of his tea, his emotions seemingly intact for the moment. Never wold I have expected such an emotional roller coaster from someone as typically cold as him, even if he wasn't as detached as believed. "So, what happened after that?" Wes drummed his fingers on the table, soft banging playing from his nails on the wood.

"The kid vanished. In the story you know, this is the last that was seen of him until they found his body, but that's not true either." Eagun sighed, his hand going towards his face. Of course it wasn't. Either Wes was as much of a psychotic nut as the tabloids alleged, or the morals of the championship had truly declined much more than he could have imagined. Perhaps Samuel's reaction was warranted.

"Let me take a guess. Lance held him captive on a remote island with a very scary castle that gets struck by lightening from Zapdos every day?" A rare bit of sarcasm from me, I'll admit. That was always' Sam's strong suit. Wes didn't laugh, or chuckle, or anything. His reaction was to shake his head and give a wretched smile.

"Not too far from the truth, old man. An island off of the east coast of Kanto, called Caligo. The Kanto League had it constructed as a maximum security prison. It was, still is, the ideal location. Not only are the waters on that entire coast of Kanto terribly harsh, but the forest separating the coast from the Eastern cities of Kanto is a nightmare. Anyway, he wasn't there immediately, and not for the reasons that you are thinking, either. Lance may be worthy of the ultimate penalty, but he isn't some evil-mad man with your Zapdos-lit castle." My eyebrows went up. Skepticism must have been flowing out of me much like water flows from the cannons of a Blastoise.

"So how did a teenage kid, who had defeated the Elite Four, end up at a maximum security prison after his mother died?" Perhaps my tone was a bit too mocking, perhaps the conversation was just bringing up too many memories. Whatever it was, it was bothering him. His drumming on the table only got louder.

"Lance wasn't completely wrong on this one. The kid went AWOL, tried to attack Giovanni on his own. He didn't do terribly either, managed to kill one of their commanders, Proton. He DID get captured and held prisoner for a few weeks though, until we took over the same base he was held in by pure coincidence." He stood suddenly, going to my pictures on the kitchen wall, still talking. "Lance had to keep him a secret at this point. He was scarred, physically and emotionally. His starting Pokemon was killed. I can't, nor would I, tell you what they did to him in there." Wes' eyes fell on a particular picture, of you and me inside of what appeared to be a carnival of some sort. You were only a young girl at the time, you must know the one. "The fountain... in this picture... is it the one in Cerulean City?" To that point, my eyes were unfocused, my ears taking all of my sensing ability. All of a sudden, I pulled a muscle snapping my neck towards him. It was, oddly enough, the strangest question he'd ever asked me.

"Beluh and I took You off of her parents hands for a weekend. We took a vacation to Cerulean, and there just happened to be a carnival in the center of town." He didn't tear his eyes from the picture, though I couldn't figure out why. Did You hold some significance more than what was obvious? Was it the fountain, or Cerulean, or even Kanto as a whole? He was an enigma. I still feel that he always will be. "Why do you ask?" Maybe, just maybe, I thought, I'd be able to get something solid on his past.

"I thought I recognized it." Of course, the simplest answer possible. "And no, I won't tell you why, Eagun." He always knew me too well. Well, I figured that if I was getting no information there, I may as well try to get back to the topic.

"So, what exactly happened following his saving?" Wes scoffed at the word saving. If I can say anything, I'll say this. He certainly seemed much more emotional about this than perhaps he should be. There were so many questions, and the few answers I got only exponentially increased my questions.

"I can't tell you much more. He was in confinement for 3 months, escaped, attacked the Team Rocket core with us, went missing mid mission, and a few weeks later, killed himself." I really wanted to ask more questions. What happened when they fought the Rockets? Why did Sam attack the League so brutally? What happened that he didn't outright win against Lance? But I couldn't bring myself to do it. I know that you are going to yell at me- come on. Let me finish at least! I know that you'll yell at me for not doing so, but he was so distraught. I've never seen him like that. It was horrifying, to see such a strong figure sweating, refusing to his eyes from the photo, his hand dug into his pocket like a group of Magnemite evolving to each other.

Why am I telling this story? Its the one that had the most open ends. What did he do in the G-Men? Why did he know so much about Lance, Ash, or the Professor? Why did he refuse to go into detail about what happened after Ketchum was captured by Team Rocket? Why did he recognize the Cerulean fountain? What was in his pocket? I don't know, I just don't know. But at this point, I need to know. I was hoping that you'd know something more than I do. Please tell me that you do. I can't think about what'll happen if you don't.

* * *

I told you all not to expect regular uploads. I just had spring break, and rather than sit at home and relax, I took the time to get as much done as possible (truth be told, I spent much more time under the influence than doing chemistry). I've been chipping away at this slowly over the past two weeks or so. I have the next chapter started already, for reasons I'll explain momentarily, so don't be surprised if it comes sooner.

This chapter is shorter, I know. You can expect this alternating pattern between 3rd person and 1st from varying viewpoints for a while. Its an idea that I enjoyed writing, and came to me on a spurt after I finished a few pages on the (now) 3rd chapter. These 1st person chapters will be shorter, around 5000 words like this one, but I don't want to unnecessarily draw them out. You can expect the next chapter to be a bit longer. Otherwise, there will probably be a few flaws in the chapter, so don't be surprised if you see some very minor changes (mostly in pronoun usage, date ranges. I typically write one thing and then contradict it in another, but nothing serious).

The chapter name is also just something I decided on a whim. I take Latin, and I feel like it'll be interesting to put some common phrases (most of which are currently used in either legal, medical, or other professional settings) and implement them.

Other than that, enjoy.


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